Lock nut



'R. w. LUCE 2,529,093

. LOCK NUT Nov. 7, 1950 Filed July 25, 1945 INVEN OR My Ja P ATTORN EYPatented Nov. 7, 1950 OFFICE 2,529,093 LooK NUT Richard W. Luce,Southport, Conn.

Application July 25, 1945, Serial No. 606,918

1 Claim.

The invention herein disclosed relates to a lock-nut of the kind inwhich there is efiected a frictional engagement between the threadthereof and the thread of a bolt entered therein. More particularly, theinvention relates to a, lock-nut of this kind in which two axiallyspaced tapped portions are normally maintained with the threads thereofout of phase by a resilient portion having a curved wall section.

There are several forms of lock-nuts of the kind mentioned. Among these,there is the form which includes a body portion having the loadcarryingthread therein, and a smaller tapped portion formed by bending inwardlyan axially extending cylindrical wall through substantially one hundredand eighty degrees. The curved section of the wall which unites the twotapped portions is resilient and the two tapped portions are normallymaintained out of phase. The cylindrical extension must be of suchthickness that the axial portion, formed by inwardly bending theextension, is thick enough to have a thread tapped therein and tomaintain the thread. When this condition exists, there is too much metalin the resilient portion for the desired resiliency of a nut that mustmaintain its locking action over repeated use.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple construction inwhich the metal of the resilient portion is reduced to that amount whichprovides the desired resiliency, and to provide a simple and inexpensivemethod for makin the nut. A further object of the invention is toprovide such a construction withoutsubstantially altering the appearanceof the nut.

The foregoing "objects and certain advantages that will hereinafterappear are realized in the embodiment of the invention illustrated inthe drawings and described in detail below.

The drawings include:

Fig. 1 which is a plan of a lock nut embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 which is an elevation of the same; and

Fig. 3 which is an axial section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. v

The lock-nut illustrated in the drawings includes a body portion l ofhexagonal configuration that is bored and tapped to form theloadcarrying thread 2 therein. Axially spaced from and in alignment withthe tapped body portion l,

' there is a smaller tapped portion 3. The thread 4 of the smallertapped portion 3 is of the same pitch and diameter as the thread 2 ofthe body portion. However, the smaller tapped portion 3 is normallymaintained with the thread 4 thereof axially displaced out of phase withthe thread of the body portion in a direction towards the body portionand in an amount slightly less than onehalf the pitch of the thread.

The two tapped portions are united by a resilient portion 5. Thisresilient portion consists of a cylindrical extension formed integralwith and extending from one end of the body portion and shaped to formthe resilient portion and the smaller tapped portion 3. The cylindricalextension is bent inwardly through substantially one hundred and eightydegrees to form the smaller tapped portion 3, and the curved resilientportion 5 uniting the smaller tapped portion and the supporting portion6 of the cylindrical extension.

In constructing a nut in this way, the thickness of the wall of thecylindrical extension must be at least such that when it is bentinwardly, the wall of the smaller tapped portion will be thick enough toreceive and maintain the thread 4. When this condition exists, there istoo much metal in the resilient portion for it to have the necessary ordesired resiliency wherein there is sufficient recovery for repeateduse. To provide the desired resiliency the curved section 5 of theresilient portion is partly slotted through as shown at 1, 8 and 9.While the slots go through the curved section, they are of course,discontinuous or spaced so that only part of the curved section is cutthrough.

Preferably, as illustrated the curved wall section is slotted in aplurality of places disposed about the axis of the nut. With three slotsdisposed symmetrically about the axis of the nut, the result is the sameas though the sections I0, I I and l 2 were removed. This leaves threeresilient sections I3, M and I5 symmetrically disposed about the axis ofthe nut supporting and holding the smaller tapped portion with itsthread normally out of phase with the thread of the body portion. Theslotting is preferably, and comparativel inexpensively, done by movingthe nut axially against three rotating saws, each of'which makes a sawcut through the curved section of the resilient portion.

It will be obvious that various changes may be -made by those skilled inthe art in the steps of themethod and the details of the nut illustratedin the drawings and described above within the principle and scope ofthe invention as expressed in the appended claim. 1

I claim:

A lock-nut of the kind for effectin a frictional engagement between thesurface of the thread thereof and the surface of the thread of a boltentered therein, which lock-nut comprises an internally tapped bodyportion having the loadcarrying thread therein, an axially spacedsmaller tapped portion and a resilient portion including a circularinwardly curved wall section reversely bent through an angle ofapproximately one hundred and eighty degrees uniting the two tappedportions and normally maintaining the two tapped portions with thethreads thereof out of phase, the resilient portion havin a plurality ofelongated relatively narrow slots extending through the bend thereof andalong chords of the circular wall.

RICHARD W. LUCE.

2 4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,215,560 Oddie Sept. 24, 19402,320,785 Luce June 1, 1943 2,385,390 Tripp Sept. 25, 1945 2,393,520Cr-owther Jan. 22, 1946' 2,412,896 Luce Dec. 17, 1946

